


Occam's Razor

by Telaryn



Category: Leverage
Genre: Bombs, Boston, Gen, Kidnapping, Power Play, Rescue Missions, Team as Family, Threats, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 05:22:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5993038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nate becomes the job, the team comes together to solve the problem in the most unexpected way possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Occam's Razor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ginipig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginipig/gifts).



> After a couple of major false starts, I think this is the story I was trying to tell. I hope you like it - thank you for playing with us this year!

On the surface it looked like the work of a Bond villain overdosing on LSD. Strip away the flash though, and it was a classic kill box scenario with Nate himself as bait for the trap.

“I still don’t see anything to indicate this isn’t mob related,” Sophie argued. It was the drum she had been beating since the moment they realized Nate had been taken, and since at this point Eliot only had gut instinct to tell him she was wrong, he’d been forced to let her have her say.

Their ‘guest’ – the young man who’d brought them the flash drive with the footage of Nate and everything they were up against to get them back – gestured at the screen. “There isn’t a known player in Boston with balls that big.” Eliot turned in time to see Seamus McTeague redden briefly and duck his head in Sophie’s direction. “Beg pardon, Ms. Deveraux,” he said, his tone abruptly respectful.

“Nate’s only value on the street is his position as head of this crew,” Eliot said. “Seamus is right – none of the current powers in the area are going to risk the kind of war they’d bring to their doorstep by challenging us this openly.”

“Whoever it is, they know about our agreement with Seamus’ grandfather,” Parker said. She was sitting cross-legged on the desk, uncomfortably close to Seamus. Nate had negotiated an alliance of sorts with the mob family headed up by Donal McTeague some years earlier, giving them a measure of protection and standing among the families that ruled Boston’s underworld.

“They’ve done their research,” Sophie said, nodding in agreement. Eliot was momentarily fascinated by the fact that it apparently never seriously occurred to her that someone in the McTeague’s organization might have decided to turn on them. Privately, he didn’t believe it either – but Sophie hadn’t fully bought into the alliance in the first place.

“We know that by the way they took him,” he said finally. Catching Sophie’s gaze he threw her the challenge. “Give me a profile. Something to narrow the field.”

She was clearly startled at his choice of words, but ultimately that was what she did as easily as breathing. She looked at behaviors and evidence and extrapolated motivations and backgrounds – solid things they could exploit to get what they needed.

After a few beats, Sophie stepped forward and focused on the stilled image of Nate – battered, bruised, bound to a chair in the middle of a darkened, featureless room. “He’s new in town,” she said softly, one hand twitching as if to reach out and touch their leader. “Whoever it is, they’ve had no first hand connection to Nate or his family. They’re reacting entirely to his reputation.”

Which made sense, Eliot decided. Nate had grown up in Boston – his father a fixture in the local mob scene. No matter how strong your opponent was, people reacted differently to those they’d known as children. “What do they want?” Sophie had decided their opponent was male, but Eliot wasn’t ready to commit just yet.

“Us,” she said flatly. “You said it yourself – Nate’s only value on the street is as head of this crew. I don’t have enough information to tell _why_ they’re coming after us, but this trap is going to be set against our specific abilities.” Her attention shifted to take in Parker and Hardison. “This one has learned how we operate. If we’re going to beat him, we have to assume that none of our usual tactics are going to work.”  
****************************************  
_”I have plans for all the black market trade in this city, and everything I’ve learned tells me none of that will be possible until I take out you and your crew.”_

Even though he was in real trouble, Nate was already heartily tired of the monologuing. _Asher,_ as he’d finally introduced himself, was like some kind of super-annoying anti-Hardison. Young, smart, extremely sure of himself and what he wanted, but with none of Alec’s more humanizing qualities.

_I am so going to enjoy watching them take you down._

Asher was studying a monitor that showed front and back views of McRory’s. Nate hadn’t been able to tell whether the young man had any direct surveillance on the loft. If he’d gotten around Hardison’s counter-measures, they might all be in real trouble.

“Looks like the message has been delivered,” Asher announced, straightening and turning to face Nate again. “If your hacker is as good as his reputation we have about an hour before they make a try for this place.”

An hour before every trap specifically geared to the team’s way of tackling a problem was sprung. Nate wanted trust that the others were already on top of things and had figured out what they were up against, but _he_ was their safety net for this kind of thing.

 _Solve the problem,_ he thought, closing his eyes and offering up a silent prayer. _Just solve the damn problem._  
******************************  
_Seven seconds._ Seven seconds to everything coming undone for good, and Eliot still couldn’t make himself breathe properly.

“I still can’t believe they did it,” Sophie breathed, looking over his shoulder at the monitor. “I thought for sure that we’d made the wrong play.”

“They do have their uses,” Eliot agreed.

Hardison was the most openly relieved of all of them. “And Mr. ‘I have a really stupid name and think I’’m hot stuff’ is going to look like the worst kind of stupid when they ask him why he did this.”

On the monitor, Parker had burst into the room where Nate was being held and had thrown herself bodily on the mastermind. Nate was clearly in pain, but he was doing his best to comfort her.

The door opened, and Detective Captain Patrick Bonanno looked in. “The scene is secure. Parker did a good job helping us get in.”

Sophie was the first one to step forward. “How is he? Nate?”

“He’s been beat up pretty bad.” Bonanno looked suddenly self-conscious. “How much grief is he going to give us about going to the hospital to get checked out?”

Eliot drew back as Sophie’s eyes blazed with determination. “He won’t be giving anyone any grief – not if I have anything to say about it.” She strode out of the room, with Bonanno at her heels.”

“Man,” Hardison said, shaking his head, “who would have ever thought we’d go this route?”

Eliot shrugged. “We had to do something that idiot wouldn’t expect. If you think you’re going up against a traditional crime family, the last thing you think they’re going to do is call the police and report a kidnapping.”


End file.
